Driving fluidly is key

Driving in Blagoveshchensk can be a hair-raising experience, even when you are just a passenger. Here they embrace a more fluid driving style where lane changes are de rigueur and necessary for vehicle integrity.

There may be 1 or 2 lanes, but when you get to the intersection with a traffic light, there is automatically an additional lane implied. This lane is to the far right, and it allows any vehicle to pass a slower vehicle in the intersection. The light turns green, the person to the right guns it and moves over into the regular lane. Hopefully, avoiding any cars that may be parked along the curbside after the intersection.

Because the roads have potholes and bumps, cars are expected to dodge around these obstacles. Otherwise, they could get a flat tire or some other vehicle damage. Cars will back halfway into a lane from a roadside parking spot and stop. The other cars will just slide around the backing vehicle, and the backing vehicle will wait until there are no vehicles coming before competing its move into the lane.

Cars also go around vehicles turning left. Any car in the left lane that notices the car in front of it is going to turn, simply moves over to the right and drives around it. If a person crosses the road, he or she will proceed to the center line and wait for vehicles to go by. If the person inches into the oncoming traffic, the traffic doesn’t stop, it just goes around the person.​Drivers know the rules, and when one driver allows another driver in, the emergency flashers come on briefly to indicate their appreciation for the space.